JAKARTA: Indonesian investigators on Thursday (Sep 4) named a former education minister and co-founder of ride-hailing firm Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, as a suspect in a corruption case about alleged improper laptop procurement and said he had been detained.
An investigator at the attorney general’s office said Makarim would be detained for 20 days while the investigation proceeds.
Makarim, education minister between 2019 and 2024, was accused of involvement in the procurement of Google’s Chromebook laptops for use at his ministry and by students, said investigator Nurcahyo Jungkung Madyo.
Makarim’s lawyer did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
He was accused of misusing his authority as minister to enrich himself or a company, Nurcahyo said, in violation of Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws. Investigators estimated the case had caused losses to the state of 1.98 trillion rupiah (US$121.85 million).
“For investigation purposes, (Makarim) will be detained for the next 20 days,” Nurcahyo told a press conference.
Source: CNA
